Admiralty Arch

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will take steps to ensure that Admiralty Arch will continue to fly its full set of White Ensigns on state occasions following its conversion to a hotel.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The preferred bidder at Admiralty Arch has entered an agreement for lease, whereby the long lease will be granted once the bidder has received a planning consent for a scheme approved by government, as well as satisfactory funding.
	The long lease, when granted. provides for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to erect and fly such flags as any of Her Majesty's Secretaries of State see fit in their absolute discretion from time to time provided that the size of the flags and the extent of the obstruction of the windows does not exceed agreed parameters.

Banking: Bonuses

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that Goldman Sachs and other banks are considering delaying payments of bonuses in the current tax year in order that they might be taxed at a lower rate in 2013-14; whether they propose to take any action on this matter; and whether UK Financial Investments has expressed a view on the matter to banks in which they have an ownership interest on behalf of taxpayers.

Lord Deighton: The Government have been clear that banks must act responsibly in setting bonuses; and continue to take robust action to tackle unacceptable remuneration.

Banks: HBOS

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Financial Services Authority are investigating the role of any current or former executives or board members of HBOS other than Mr Peter Cummings as part of their investigation into the failure of HBOS; if so, whether they have been able to reach any further conclusions about the responsibility of those concerned for the failure of the bank; whether they will make public the names of those so far deemed to have been at fault; and whether new lines of inquiry have been added to their investigation since the publication of their Final Notice regarding Peter Cummings on 12 September 2012.

Lord Deighton: Individual enforcement decisions are a matter for the Financial Services Authority (FSA), not the Government. It would not be appropriate to comment on any individual ongoing cases at this time.
	The FSA's report into HBOS is expected to be published in summer 2013. This will contain further details of the HBOS investigation.

Banks: HSBC

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 18 December (WA 287-8), whether any current or previous executive directors of HSBC Bank plc are subject to Financial Services Authority review as approved persons as a result of their roles in respect of (1) Mexican money-laundering, and (2) breaches of anti-terrorist financing in other entities within the HSBC group.

Lord Deighton: The Financial Services Authority (the FSA) considers the findings from all investigations conducted by other agencies and factors these into its supervisory approach for the firms it regulates.
	The FSA does not comment on whether a firm or individual is the subject of an FSA enforcement investigation.

Benefits

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Deighton on 8 January (WA 11-12), what are the difficulties in recording and retaining the details of child benefit recipients' ordinarily resident status and their right to reside in a format which can be accumulated and extrapolated; and whether they will arrange to make those fields computable.

Lord Deighton: Being ordinarily resident and having a right to reside are pre-requisites to being awarded child benefit and both are established before an award is put into payment. Once established this information is not required for any legal or administrative purpose and should not be recorded or retained.

Benefits

Lord Donoughue: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the total current public expenditure cost of all welfare benefits; and how much of that total is additional to contributions received through national insurance.

Lord Deighton: The total public expenditure of all welfare benefits in 2011-12 was £202.1 billion. This figure includes all social security benefits and tax credits as set out in table B.4 of the Autumn Statement 2012 document. OBR forecasts for 2012-13 to 2017-18 are also published in table B.4.1
	National insurance contributions receipts were £101.6 billion in 2011-12, as set out in table B.3 of the Autumn Statement 2012 document. OBR forecasts for 2012-13 to 2017-18 are also published in table B.3.
	1 http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/autumn_statement_2012_complete.pdf

Burma

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ask the Government of Burma to end its military offensive in Kachin State and engage in political dialogue and a peace process with the Kachin Independence Organisation.

Baroness Warsi: We continue to call for the cessation of violence in Kachin at every opportunity. In a public statement of 3 January, the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), expressed the Government's deep concern over the situation in the Kachin state.
	Mr Swire also raised our concerns with the Burmese Government during his visit to Burma in December 2012. He made clear to the Burmese authorities the need to make progress on resolving the conflict in Kachin state and to move towards a lasting peaceful political settlement.
	Our ambassador in Rangoon raised our concerns with senior members of the Burmese Government on 16 January and again on 19 January. It is important that all sides return to the negotiating table and make renewed effort to work towards lasting peace.

Burma

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking within the European Union to make the relaxation of economic sanctions and promotion of new trade and investment in Burma conditional on an immediate cessation of the Burmese Army's offensive in Kachin State.

Baroness Warsi: We continue to call for the cessation of violence in Kachin state at every opportunity. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), raised these concerns with the Burmese authorities during his visit to Burma in December 2012. Our ambassador in Rangoon raised them again with senior members of the Burmese Government on 16 January and 19 January.
	The EU Foreign Affairs Council will next review sanctions on Burma in April. The outcome of this review will depend on the progress that the Burmese Government have made against the benchmarks that were set out in the council conclusions of January 2012. These included the need to see meaningful progress in the process of reconciliation with armed ethnic groups.
	As the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my honourable friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Mr Burt), said during an Urgent Question on 14 January (Official Report, col. 599) any discussion on sanctions will depend on the progress that has been made by Burma against these benchmarks, including in Kachin state. We will be consulting with our EU colleagues over the coming months ahead of the April review.

Burma

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of China regarding air strikes by the Burmese Army in Kachin State.

Baroness Warsi: I refer the noble Baroness to the Answer given by the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), on 21 January (Official Report, col. 92).

Burnley Street Pastors

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they have provided for Mary Pickles of Worsthorne, Lancashire, in her role as a member of the Burnley Street Pastors.

Baroness Warsi: The Government welcome the full range of faith-based social action, and for instance are working with the Church Urban Fund through the Near Neighbours programme to enable different faiths to come together to improve their neighbourhoods and build understanding. Although the Government have not supported Burnley Street Pastors directly, we are well aware of the excellent work being carried out by Street Pastors in helping the police and local authorities to deal with social problems caused by the night-time economy.
	The Government are enabling community groups to play a greater role in the delivery of local services through policies such as the Community Right to Challenge, which enables local groups to express an interest in running local authority services. The Department for Communities and Local Government runs a barrier busting service for individuals and communities who feel that they are being held back from taking action locally by bureaucratic barriers.

Courts: Magistrates' Courts

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the size of existing merged magistrates' benches; and what will be the size of any proposed merged benches.

Lord McNally: Magistrates' benches are based on local justice areas, decisions on bench mergers depend on maintaining magistrates' competences and the best deployment of administrative resource. There is no predefined size for a merged bench because this will depend on the size of the benches being merged. The table below show the size of benches that have merged since 2005.
	
		
			 Local Justice Area/Bench Number of Magistrates 
			 Somerset 374 
			 Bedfordshire 242 
			 Berkshire 326 
			 Birmingham 445 
			 Dudley and Halesowen 140 
			 Sandwell 153 
			 Buckinghamshire 293 
			 Oxfordshire 229 
			 South Cambridgeshire 95 
			 North Cambridgeshire 103 
			 Central London 331 
			 South East London 255 
			 South London 285 
			 North Cheshire 147 
			 West Cheshire 151 
			 Teesside 265 
			 North Cumbria 83 
			 West Cumbria 60 
			 North and East Devon 174 
			 South & West Devon 230 
			 Cornwall 161 
			 County Durham and Darlington 266 
			 Carmarthenshire 105 
			 Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire 95 
			 Montgomeryshire 38 
			 Brecknock and Radnorshire 36 
			 South Essex 223 
			 North Essex 275 
			 Bury and Rochdale 264 
			 Manchester and Salford 420 
			 Gwent 281 
			 West Hampshire 236 
			 North Hampshire 178 
			 West & Central Hertfordshire 262 
			 North & East Hertfordshire 168 
			 East Yorkshire 89 
			 East Lancashire 215 
			 Ashby-de-la-Zouch and Market Bosworth 63 
			 Leicester, Market Harborough and Lutterworth 271 
			 Loughborough, Melton, Belvior and Rutland 106 
			 East Lincolnshire 65 
			 South Lincolnshire 86 
			 West Lincolnshire 130 
			 South West London 295 
			 North West London 300 
			 West London 392 
			 Liverpool and Knowsley 297 
			 Sefton 149 
			 Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan 257 
			 Glamorgan Valleys 127 
			 Norfolk 357 
			 East London 335 
			 North East London 293 
			 North London 321 
			 Harrogate and Skipton 81 
			 York and Selby 124 
			 Northampton, Daventry and Towcester 182 
			 Mid and South East Northumberland 124 
			 Newcastle and Tynedale 215 
			 City of Sunderland 161 
			 Mansfield and Worksop 168 
			 Nottingham and Newark 386 
			 Shrewsbury and North Shropshire 75 
			 Telford and South Shropshire 123 
			 Bradford and Keighley 320 
			 Kirklees 145 
			 Leeds 371 
			 Wakefield and Pontefract 153

Debt

Lord Donoughue: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the United Kingdom's (1) public debt, (2) corporate debt, (3) personal debt, and (4) total debt, in (a) 2011, and (b) 2012; and in each case, what percentage of total United Kingdom gross domestic product that represents.

Lord Deighton: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for estimates of United Kingdom debt. The table below provides estimates for 2011, calculated from ONS data.
	
		
			  Public sector Corporations Households* Total 
			 £ billion 1,740 26,000 1,529 29,268 
			 % GDP 115 1,715 101 1,930 
		
	
	* Including non-profit institutions serving households
	Figures for 2012 will be published for the first time, with the National Accounts for the fourth quarter, on 27 March 2013.

Debt

Lord Donoughue: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have undertaken a comparison of the level of total debt as a percentage of gross domestic product in the United Kingdom against that of other members of the G20; and, if so, which of those countries have a total debt larger than the United Kingdom.

Lord Deighton: The International Monetary Fund publishes estimates of the International Investment Position (IIP). Data for 2011 shows that the UK had a net IIP of -17.2% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), gross liabilities amounted to 737% of GDP while gross assets were 720% of GDP. Figures for the G20 can be found at the following link http://www.principalglobalindicators.org/default.aspx.

Dunfermline Building Society

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much funding they provided to the Nationwide Building Society to assist its takeover of the Dunfermline Building Society (DBS); what amount of claim they have in the DBS administration in relation to this; how much has been repaid; what figure was calculated by the independent valuer as the amount the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) can be required to contribute; and whether they have sought to recover any monies from the FSCS.

Lord Newby: The Treasury provided just under £1.6 billion to Nationwide Building Society to facilitate the resolution of Dunfermline Building Society (DBS) and has a claim in the DBS administration for this amount. Consequently, the Treasury is now a creditor of the Dunfermline administration, and expects to be able to make a significant recovery from the winding up of the estate.
	Details of repayments and interest received as at 31 March 2012 can be found in Section 34 of the Treasury annual reports and accounts 2011-12. The report can be accessed via the following web link: www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/hmt_annual_report_2012.pdf.
	Any amount not recovered from the administration by HM Treasury may be recovered from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) under Section 214B of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, subject to a statutory cap. This cap is set at the net amount of costs that FSCS would otherwise have incurred in a counterfactual insolvency scenario had the authorities not stepped in and the stabilisation power had not been exercised, less the actual net costs of the resolution.
	The legislation requires HM Treasury to calculate the cap on the amount that the FSCS is required to pay. To facilitate this calculation, the legislation also provides for an independent valuer to be appointed to determine the amount that the FSCS would have recovered had DBS gone into insolvency without stabilisation powers being exercised.
	On 23 December 2009, HM Treasury announced that an independent panel had selected and appointed Ian Burns of Smith and Williamson as the independent valuer to determine any compensation to be paid by the FSCS in accordance with the Dunfermline Building Society Compensation Scheme, Resolution Fund and Third Party Compensation Order 2009.
	Mr Burns has now published his assessment which is available on the FSCS website under the following link: http://www.fscs.org.uk/industry/news/2012/november/dunfermline-building-society-update/index. html.
	The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Contribution to Costs of Special Resolution Regime) Regulations 2010, provide a mechanism under which the valuer may be required to reconsider the determinations. That mechanism has been activated. The cap on FSCS contribution will therefore not be known until after Mr Burns produces his revised assessment notice, which is expected later this year.

Economy

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Deighton on 17 January (WA 147), whether they will now provide an assessment of the impact of a potential loss of the United Kingdom's AAA credit rating on the United Kingdom economy.

Lord Deighton: I refer the noble Lord to the Government's responses to his Questions on 17 December 2012 (WA 275), 8 January 2013 (WA20), and 17 January 2013 (WA147).
	The Government have taken action to reduce the deficit and rebuild the economy. The Government's overriding priority is to return the UK to sustainable, balanced economic growth. The Government's actions have secured stability and positioned the UK as a relative safe haven, with interest rates near historic lows, benefiting families, businesses and the taxpayer.

Energy: Gas Prices

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect the investigations being conducted by Ofgem and the Financial Services Authority into wholesale gas price manipulation to be concluded.

Baroness Verma: Ofgem continues its analysis following reports by the whistleblower in November relating to trading in the gas market. This includes close co-operation with the FSA. As independent regulators, it is for Ofgem or the FSA to announce progress with investigations as necessary in accordance with their established procedures. Ofgem and the FSA continue to progress these matters with the necessary priority and consistent with proper examination of the issues.

Energy: Nuclear Waste

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will ensure that the special status of national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty takes precedence in decisions on sites for the disposal of nuclear waste; and whether those arrangements have been communicated to the civic leaders of West Cumbria in time for their decision on 30 January on whether to proceed to the next stage in preparing for such a facility.

Baroness Verma: The process for implementing geological disposal was first set out in the 2008 White Paper Managing Radioactive Waste Safely: A Framework for Implementation of Geological Disposal. This describes a staged approach based on voluntarism and partnership working with local authorities that have decided to participate in the process.
	Work to identify and assess potential candidate sites will only begin in west Cumbria should the local authorities decide to participate in the next stage of the managing radioactive waste safely (MRWS) process.
	Consideration of potential sites in future stages would include application of all the relevant statutory environmental assessments, planning and regulatory approvals, giving due consideration to all categories of protected sites.

Energy: Nuclear Waste

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria they apply in identifying suitable sites for constructing nuclear waste disposal facilities; how many sites they have considered; where they are situated; and whether they will make that information public before civic leaders in West Cumbria decide on 30 January on whether to proceed to the next stage in preparing for such a development.

Baroness Verma: The process for implementing geological disposal was first set out in the 2008 White Paper Managing Radioactive Waste Safely: A Framework for Implementation of Geological Disposal. This describes a staged approach based on voluntarism and partnership working with local authorities that have decided to participate in the process.
	No sites have yet been considered or identified for a geological disposal facility for radioactive waste. Work to identify and assess potential candidate sites will only begin in west Cumbria should the local authorities decide to proceed to the next stage of the managing radioactive waste safely (MRWS) process.
	In March 2012, following a national consultation process, the Government published Managing Radioactive Waste Safely: A Framework for the Desk-Based Identification and Assessment of Potential Candidate Sites for Geological Disposal, which sets out the process that would be followed to do this, including national criteria for identifying potential sites. Those criteria are: geological setting; potential impact on people; potential impact on the natural environment; effect on socioeconomic conditions; transport and infrastructure provision; cost, time and ease of implementation. The framework also allows for local criteria to be added to the process.
	Of course, no geological disposal facility could ever operate without authorisation from the independent regulators and the Environment Agency has also published its detailed Guidance on Requirements for Authorisation of Geological Disposal Facilities, available at http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business/sectors/99322.aspx.

Energy: Nuclear Waste

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what strategic assessment they have made of the relative merits of potential sites in West Cumbria for the disposal of nuclear waste against those available elsewhere in the United Kingdom; and whether that assessment has been shared with the West Cumbrian civic leaders who are to make the decision on 30 January on whether or not to proceed to the next stage in preparing such a development.

Baroness Verma: To date, three local authorities in Cumbria have expressed an interest in the Government's managing radioactive waste safely (MRWS) process to implement geological disposal and are currently considering whether or not to participate in site identification and assessment. As such, no sites have yet been identified for consideration. Work to identify and assess potential candidate sites will only begin in west Cumbria should the local authorities decide to proceed to the next stage of the MRWS process.
	A strategic environmental assessment (SEA) will be carried out alongside the work to identify and assess potential candidate sites, which will include consideration of reasonable alternatives.

Energy: Prices

Lord Donoughue: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 7 January (WA 26), what percentage of the rise in residential energy prices since 2010, in percentage terms and as a monetary average per week of expenditure, has been due to factors other than the rise in fossil fuel prices.

Baroness Verma: The relationship between fossil fuel prices and retail energy prices depends on a number of complex factors including the electricity generation mix and suppliers' energy purchasing and pricing strategies. Wholesale energy costs follow movements in fossil fuel prices (particularly gas) relatively closely. They are estimated to make up around half of average household gas and electricity prices in 2012 and to have contributed to at least 80%1 of the increase in household gas prices and 20% of the increase in household electricity prices over the period 2010 to 2012.
	Wholesale energy costs are estimated to have contributed to at least 60% of the increase in total household dual fuel bills over the same period.2 The remainder of the increase was driven by other factors: increases in network costs, supplier operating costs and margins which are estimated to have accounted for around 25% of the increase and the costs of energy and climate change policies around 15% of the increase. This figure does not include expected energy bill savings resulting from energy and climate change policies over the period (through energy efficiency and energy bill rebates for eligible households) and should also not be confused with the share of the average household dual fuel bill represented by the costs of these policies-which DECC has previously estimated to be around 7%.
	The monetary average increase between 2010 and 2012 for factors other than wholesale energy costs (in current prices) is equivalent to around £1/week on energy bills, less than half of which reflects the costs of energy and climate change policies.
	1 Figures rounded to the nearest 5 percentage points.
	2 Based on Ofgem's standard consumption assumptions of 16.5MWh gas and 3.3MWh electricity per year.

Energy: Solar Parks

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the case for the construction of solar parks on agricultural land; and what is the planned output of electricity from those already in operation or under construction.

Baroness Verma: Solar PV is a technology which can play a valuable role in helping the UK meet its energy targets and the Government are keen to see an increase in its sustainable deployment. As with all renewable energy developments, larger-scale solar projects are considered within the formal planning procedures. These assess all potential impacts of a project, including effects on land usage.
	The Government are working with the newly created National Solar Centre and the solar PV sector to ensure that the best practice guidance developed by Cornwall County Council is made widely available as a guide for local authorities considering larger-scale solar projects.
	DECC does not keep data which differentiate between the different types of land used for solar energy deployment or under construction on agricultural land.

Environment: Global Change

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report Can a Collapse of Global Civilization be Avoided? written by Professor Paul R. Ehrlich and Anne H. Ehrlich of the Department of Biology at Stanford University in California and published by the Royal Society.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: The paper by Professors Ehrlich and Ehrlich Can a Collapse of Global Civilisation be Avoided? presents an articulate assessment of the challenges facing the world. As the paper sets out, the global population is growing rapidly, and this population growth, coupled with greater economic prosperity, is increasing demand for food, energy and water and putting pressure on increasingly scarce resources. Climate change is an additional challenge, likely to exacerbate the risk of food and water insecurity, and increase the vulnerability of individuals, communities and regions.
	These challenges are not insurmountable. Science, technology and engineering, coupled with appropriate international action, will be central to meeting them and ensuring a sustainable future for us all. They are, however, intrinsically interconnected and cannot be addressed in isolation. However, a holistic approach is difficult in a fragmented international policy system.
	The paper references the need for multidisciplinary scientific effort and foresight. Her Majesty's Government (HMG) already support both, through funding excellence in science and through their own Foresight Programme. This Foresight Programme, under the auspices of the Government Office for Science and the Government's Chief Scientific Adviser, has looked in depth at many of the challenges detailed in this paper, including the impact of environmental change on migration, and the future of global food and farming. Foresight reports set out the evidence base for how these issues might evolve over the coming decades and potential options for policymakers.
	HMG recognise the challenges set out in the paper and are working actively to achieve global solutions, drawing on conclusions from these Foresight reports and other policy-relevant science undertaken across the research base. Scientific understanding informs both domestic policy designed to address these challenges as well as the UK's international position. HMG are working actively to deal with climate change, and are working towards a global agreement in 2015 to keep greenhouse gas emissions within the limits needed to avoid the most dangerous impacts of climate change. At the Rio+20 UN sustainable development conference last year, a key outcome was the agreement to develop a set of sustainable development goals, which the UK supports. These goals will aim to set the necessary global ambition to reverse environmental degradation and put the world on a more sustainable trajectory, rather than portend the collapse of civilisation. HMG are also committed to universal health systems and education, as these are essential for women's health and advancing gender equality, influencing population dynamics, and contributing to poverty eradication and sustainable development.

EU: Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what budget they propose for the European Union's Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance; which countries are currently benefiting from it; and which countries are likely to be affected by cuts in that budget.

Baroness Warsi: The countries currently benefiting from the EU's Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) are: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Iceland, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey.
	According to the latest "Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council: Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA): Revised Multi-annual Indicative Financial Framework for 2013", the total IPA allocation for 2013 is €1,864,646,788. Discussions on the size of the overall IPA budget and the allocations for each beneficiary country (excluding Croatia) for the period 2014-20 are currently being negotiated as part of the Multi-Annual Financial Framework process.

EU: UK Membership

Baroness Morgan of Ely: To ask Her Majesty's Government which European Union member states have indicated to them that they are willing to consider a renegotiation of the European Union treaty if the United Kingdom wished to re-evaluate its relationship with the European Union.

Baroness Warsi: The Government discuss a range of issues with other EU member states, many of whom agree about the need for reform to address the challenges that all EU countries face.

EU: UK Membership

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to hold a referendum on the United Kingdom's membership of the European Union.

Baroness Warsi: The Government have no plans to hold such a referendum in this Parliament. Individual parties will decide whether to commit to a referendum in their next manifesto.

Fire and Rescue Service

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the discretion afforded to eight Fire and Rescue Authorities to raise their council tax precept will be extended to all Fire and Rescue Authorities.

Baroness Hanham: I refer the noble Lord to the Written Ministerial Statement of 19 December 2012 (Official Report, Commons, col. 103WS).

Food: Cheese

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was (1) the tonnage, and (2) the monetary value, of cheese imported from the Republic of Ireland into the United Kingdom in each of the last three years.

Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint: The monetary value (in £ million) and quantity (in 1000 kg) of cheese imported from the Irish Republic into the United Kingdom during 2009-11 is given in table 1 below. The figures are sourced from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (FIMRC)'s Overseas Trade Statistics database.
	
		
			 Table 1: UK Imports of Cheese (SITC 024) from the Irish Republic 
			  £ million Quantity in 1000 Kg 
			 2009 323.2 124,011 
			 2010 354.4 136,250 
			 2011 382.0 123,309

Food: Cheese

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was (1) the tonnage, and (2) the monetary value, of cheese imported from all European Union member states into the United Kingdom in each of the past three years.

Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint: The monetary value (in million) and quantity (in 1000 kg) of cheese imported from European Union countries into the United Kingdom during 2009-11 is given in table 1 below. The figures are sourced from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC)'s Overseas Trade Statistics database.
	
		
			 Table 1: UK Imports of Cheese (SITC 024) from EU27 countries 
			  £ million Quantity in 1000Kg 
			  2009 2010 2011 2009 2010 2011 
			 Austria 9.8 10.1 13.9 2,486 2,992 4,352 
			 Belgium 85.1 84.0 84.9 26,539 27,175 25,753 
			 Bulgaria 0.2 0.1 0.5 45 32 199 
			 Cyprus 11.6 12.9 16.2 2,121 2,417 3,042 
			 Czech Republic 0.0 0.5 0.0 0 113 0 
			 Denmark 71.4 91.3 101.5 28,214 31,833 36,361 
			 Estonia 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 
			 Finland 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 
			 France 254.2 257.3 223.0 96,181 105,997 94,388 
			 Germany 119.0 129.6 147.0 52,585 55,960 58,998 
			 Greece 23.9 24.6 30.5 4,671 5,220 6,443 
			 Hungary 0.0 0.0 0.0 1 0 0 
			 Irish Republic 323.2 354.4 382.0 124,011 136,250 123,309 
			 Italy 134.7 137.4 151.0 27,099 27,588 26,360 
			 Latvia 0.0 0.1 0.2 8 32 79 
			 Lithuania 1.0 2.8 5.0 625 1,183 1,623 
			 Luxembourg 0.0 0.0 0.9 0 0 177 
			 Malta 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 
			 Netherlands 85.6 67.3 60.2 28,708 21,134 16,855 
			 Poland 7.2 9.4 13.6 3,086 3,816 5,180 
			 Portugal 0.2 0.1 0.1 44 33 23 
			 Romania 0.0 0.1 0.4 0 51 158 
			 Slovakia 0.0 0.0 0.0 2 13 3 
			 Slovenia 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 
			 Spain 6.3 7.3 7.8 1,239 1,353 1,248 
			 Sweden 1.1 0.6 1.5 826 183 306 
			 EU26 1,135 1,190 1,240 398,493 423,374 404,856 
		
	
	Source: HMRC Overseas Trade Statistics

Food: Food Banks

The Lord Bishop of Derby: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many food banks have been established nationally since 2005.

Lord De Mauley: The provision of food aid ranges from very small local provision, through to national charities working on the redistribution of food. As such the Government do not keep an official record of the number of food banks nationally.

Food: Sell-by Dates

The Lord Bishop of Derby: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to discourage retailers from practices that lead to the rejection of edible food on the basis of sell-by date.

Lord De Mauley: On 15 September 2011, Defra published date-marking guidance to help ensure dates are applied consistently. Use-by dates should only be used where the safety of food cannot be guaranteed after that date. Most other foods should have a best-before date, only to indicate when the food is no longer at its best, but is still safe. As a result of this guidance, date markings are improving. For example, more labels are dropping the confusing display until or sell-by dates that are only for stock rotation.

Government Departments: Official Receptions

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the cost of the reception which the Northern Ireland Office is organising to celebrate the passing in the House of Commons of the Government of Ireland Bill in session 1912-13; who was invited; when invitations were issued; whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the invitation list; and who authorised the event in the first place.

Baroness Randerson: The event was authorised by the Minister of State for the Northern Ireland Office and cost £103. MPs and Lords with a Northern Ireland interest were invited along with a few other guests. A copy of the guest list will be placed in the House Library. Invitations were issued on Friday 11 January, and Monday 14 January.

Government Departments: Records

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the timescales for the release of classified government papers.

Lord McNally: On 1 January 2013 the Government began their 10-year transition towards releasing records when they are 20 years-old, instead of 30. The move to a 20-year rule reduces the point at which government records are transferred to the National Archives under the Public Records Act 1958. It also reduces the maximum lifespan of certain Freedom of Information Act 2000 exemptions so that they cannot be applied to any information over a certain age. This move will improve accountability by enabling access to government records earlier, and is a key part of the Government's transparency agenda.
	Most government records are opened to public access on transfer to the National Archives. A small minority of records are transferred closed to public access in line with exemptions in the Freedom of Information Act. These records are identified on the National Archives' publicly available catalogue and access to them can be requested under the Freedom of Information Act.
	Government bodies are responsible for the classification of their own information. Under the Public Records Act records can be retained by government departments beyond the standard transfer date for several reasons, one of which is to ensure national security. Records retained for national security reasons are done so with the approval of the Lord Chancellor. A review of the retention of these records is due every 10 years, and the current retention instrument will expire in December 2021.
	This instrument containing further details is published online at: www.justice.gov.uk/information-access-rights/transparency-data/signed_instrument-for-the-retention-of-public-records. Where they are held by organisations subject to the Freedom of Information Act, access to retained records can be requested.

House of Lords: Expenditure

Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask the Chairman of Committees what are the estimates for each of the individual headings of House of Lords expenditure for 2013-14 and 2014-15 as set out by the Finance Director in reports to the House Committee.

Lord Sewel: The estimates for 2013-14 and 2014-15 are as follows:
	
		
			 Expenditure by type 2013-14 2014-15 
			  £000s £000s 
			 Staff Costs 30,834 30,683 
			 Members' Finance 22,679 22,745 
			 Works Current Expenditure 16,147 17,898 
			 Security 10,109 10,623 
			 IT & IS Services 4,232 3,810 
			 Printing & Publications 3,067 3,058 
			 External Services 1,157 1,091 
			 Grants 1,513 1,513 
			 Strategically Managed Administrative Costs 2,200 1,500 
			 Non Cash Costs 6,439 6,497 
			 Office Supplies 381 378 
			 Publicity & Exhibitions 231 264 
			 CRS Trading Costs 1,975 2,012 
			 Reserves 2,406 3,957 
			 Other Shared Services 1,922 2,027 
			 Receipts (6,920) (7,093) 
			 Total Resource Costs 98,372 100,963 
			 Capital Investment 16,779 21,672 
		
	
	
		
			 Expenditure by Department 2013-14 2014-15 
			  £000s £000s 
			 Clerk of the Parliaments' Office 2,304 2,341 
			 Lord Speaker's Office 316 318 
			 Finance Department 1,513 1,411 
			 Members' Finance 22,448 22,512 
			 Committee Office 3,902 3,856 
			 Overseas Office 1,421 1,402 
			 Human Resources 975 968 
			 Superannuation (870) (880) 
			 Hansard 2,253 2,212 
			 Journal Office 2,345 2,292 
			 Library 2,557 2,532 
			 Information Office 822 823 
			 Information Shared Services 2,578 3,293 
			 Legislation Office 1,439 1,436 
			 Parliamentary Archives 968 958 
			 Freedom of Information 118 142 
			 ICT 1,943 1,960 
			 Catering and Retail Services 1,217 1,088 
			 Department of Facilities 1,953 1,929 
			 Black Rod's Office 1,198 1,175 
			 Security Costs 10,361 10,875 
			 Postal Charges 446 446 
			 Estates and Works 36,490 42,693 
			 PICT 5,011 4,240 
			 No Specific Budget 11,443 12,613 
			 Total 115,151 122,635

House of Lords: Expenditure

Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask the Chairman of Committees what items of expenditure are covered by the heading "no specific budget" in the House of Lords estimates for the last years for which statistics are available; and what are the sums involved in each case.

Lord Sewel: Certain expenditure items are not allocated to a specific House of Lords office or department and are held centrally; these items are covered by the heading "no specific budget". These items tend to be of a technical accounting nature, or to involve budgets which can be volatile or uncertain. They are held centrally as "no specific budget" so as not to distort any individual departmental budget. In some cases the money is placed under this heading for budgeting purposes and then moved to the appropriate offices as part of the forecast outturn process, with the result that no expenditure is recorded against the original line.
	The estimate and outturn for such items for each of the past three financial years was as follows:
	
		
			 Description 2009-10  2010-11  2011-12  
			  Estimate (£000s) Outturn (£000s) Estimate (£000s) Outturn (£000s) Estimate (£000s) Outturn (£000s) 
			 Pension Net Interest Costs 6,019 4,806 5,120 4,755 5,465 5,456 
			 Accruing Superannuation Liability Charge 1,783 1,360 1,103 (8,681) 1,080 1,624 
			 Armada Tapestries Project 70 102 - 30 - - 
			 Ringfenced new staff provision 200 - 140 - - - 
			 Pay rise reserve fund 1,100 - 1,040 - 493 - 
			 Inflation reserve 150 - 1,900 - 1,320 - 
			 Contingency Fund 740 10 500 - 500 - 
			 Capital enhancements - - 3,159 - - - 
			 Strategically managed administration costs - - 3,865 - 1,060 - 
			 Pay related costs - - - 5 - (11) 
			 Judicial Taxations - (11) - - - - 
			 Loss on disposal - ICT equipment - 58 - - - - 
			 Capital Charges 111 112 - - - - 
			 Pensions Capital Credit (3,200) (2,195) - - - - 
			 Total 6,973 4,242 16,827 (3,891) 9,918 7,069

House of Lords: Pork and Bacon

Lord Hoyle: To ask the Chairman of Committees what proportion of pork and bacon used in House of Lords food outlets is produced in the United Kingdom.

Lord Sewel: All bacon, hams and pork served in the catering outlets are produced in the United Kingdom, with the exception of the bacon served in the River Restaurant.

Houses of Lords: Expenditure

Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask the Chairman of Committees what is the most recent estimate of year-to-date spend and outturn for 2012-13 for each of the individual headings of House of Lords expenditure as set out by the Finance Director in reports to the House Committee.

Lord Sewel: The most recent estimates of year-to-date spend and outturn for 2013-14 are as follows:
	
		
			 Expenditure by type Year to date (April to end of Nov 2012) Forecast outturn 2012-13 
			  £000s £000s 
			 Staff Costs 19,444 29,734 
			 Members' Finance 11,976 20,720 
			 Works Current Expenditure 11,417 16,577 
			 Security 6,622 10,058 
			 IT & IS Services 2,530 4,218 
			 Printing & Publications 1,801 3,070 
			 External Services 725 1,210 
			 Grants 837 1,318 
			 Strategically Managed Administrative Costs - 1,600 
			 Non Cash Costs 4,808 8,603 
			 Office Supplies 228 366 
			 Publicity & Exhibitions 81 263 
			 CRS Trading Costs 1,295 1,949 
			 Reserves - 843 
			 Other Shared Services 1,230 1,839 
			 Receipts (4,919) (7,792) 
			 Total Resource Costs 58,075 94,576 
			 Capital Investment 4,692 13,793 
		
	
	
		
			 Expenditure by Department Year to date (end of Nov 2012) Forecast outturn 2012-13 
			  £000s £000s 
			 Clerk of the Parliaments' Office 1,549 2,274 
			 Lord Speaker's Office 164 314 
			 Finance Department 962 1,542 
			 Members' Finance 11,805 20,450 
			 Committee Office 2,146 3,694 
			 Overseas Office 777 1,220 
			 Human Resources 476 845 
			 Superannuation (1,006) (1,085) 
			 Hansard 1,441 2,235 
			 Journal Office 1,465 2,344 
			 Library 1,430 2,376 
			 Information Office 512 897 
			 Information Shared Services 1,887 2,861 
			 Legislation Office 854 1,309 
			 Parliamentary Archives 489 896 
			 Freedom of Information 25 112 
			 ICT 1,063 1,947 
			 Catering and Retail Services 754 1,220 
			 Department of Facilities 1,164 1,844 
			 Black Rod's Office 731 1,189 
			 Security Costs 6,872 10,508 
			 Postal Charges 356 511 
			 Travel costs pending allocation 31 - 
			 Estates and Works 19,131 35,106 
			 PICT 2,996 4,702 
			 No Specific Budget 4,693 9,058 
			 Total 62,767 108,369

Housing: First-time Buyers

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their most recent estimate of the average deposit needed for a first-time house buyer in (1) South Basildon and East Thurrock parliamentary constituency, (2) the Basildon local authority area, and (3) England.

Baroness Hanham: The department publishes data on average dwelling prices and mortgage advances by type of buyer, based on data from the Council of Mortgage Lenders, in Housing Statistics Live Table 516. This includes figures up to 2011 for England but not for constituency or district level. The table is published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/10701/141284.xls.
	The NewBuy Guarantee scheme has brought 95% loan to value mortgages for new build properties back to the market. NewBuy is for both first-time buyers and existing home owners.

Human Trafficking

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the number of Dalit women trafficked from India into Europe.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: No assessment has been made. Data on human trafficking are collected by the UK Human Trafficking Centre. Data record the nationality of potential victims, but do not distinguish within nationalities. In 2012, there were nine potential female victims of Indian nationality referred to the national referral mechanism.

Israel and Palestine

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have plans to renew discussions with Israel on the establishment of a two-state solution once the general election has taken place in that country.

Baroness Warsi: This is a crucial year for the peace process. We are concerned by developments that threaten the viability of the two-state solution, particularly continued settlement announcements. We will continue to urge Israel to revoke these decisions and cease settlement building. We vigorously engage with the Israeli Government on this and other issues relating to the peace process and will continue to do so once a new Government have formed.
	We remain determined to do everything possible to achieve a return to negotiations for a two-state solution, which will bring a just and permanent solution to this conflict. Accordingly, we are calling for bold and courageous leadership from a new Israeli Government and the Palestinian Authority to engage in serious negotiations without preconditions, and for the US, with the strong support of the EU, to lead a major push to revitalise the peace process, with a view to achieving a negotiated two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Kenya

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the recommendations to the European Union and its member states in the International Crisis Group's report Kenya's 2013 elections.

Baroness Warsi: The UK supports the independence of Kenya's Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission and judiciary, and has urged Kenya's politicians to respect that and to ensure that elections are free, fair and peaceful. We have condemned hate speech and we urge the Kenyan authorities to undertake swift and thorough action to hold those responsible for any violence to account.
	The international community, including the UN and EU, may also wish to consider further measures. The UK has emphasised the importance of strong leadership and effective co-operation between election observation missions in discussions with the EU, the African Union, the East African Community, the Commonwealth Secretariat and others.

Libya

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have obtained details of the amount of weaponry shipped to the IRA by the former Government of Libya; and, if so, whether they will publish those details.

Baroness Warsi: The details of weapons issues are an intelligence matter and it is the longstanding practice of successive Governments not to comment on such matters.
	We are engaging with the new Libyan Government on a range of legacy issues, including discussions on how to promote a broad and lasting reconciliation between Libya and those UK communities directly affected by Gaddafi's support of terrorism.

Living Wage

Lord Bates: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the net effect that introducing a Living Wage of £8.55 per hour for employees in London and £7.45 per hour outside London would have on (1) public sector pay, (2) receipts of tax and National Insurance, and (3) social security benefits.

Lord Deighton: The Government support the idea of a living wage and they encourage businesses to participate. However, requiring employers to pay a living wage higher than the national minimum wage could be burdensome to business and damage the employment prospects of low-paid workers.
	The Government are already putting more money in the pay packets of the low paid by raising the personal income tax allowance, taking 2.2 million of the lowest paid out of tax altogether from April 2013.
	In the absence of evidence on the living wage's adoption by employers and the resulting effect on employment levels and patterns, it is not possible to estimate the net effect on income tax and national insurance receipts, or on social security benefits.
	In addition, the majority of public sector workers already earn above the living wage. Where public sector workers earn below the living wage, the Government again support employers considering the issue.

Local Government

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for unitary local government throughout England.

Baroness Hanham: None. As I explained in my Answer to the noble Lord on the 20 November (Official Report, col. WA 354) we are opposed to any imposition on local authorities of costly reorganisations.

Migration

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 19 December (WA 319), following comments by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles, on Sunday Politics on 13 January, whether they have made forecasts of the number of people who will come to the United Kingdom from Bulgaria and Romania after restrictions are lifted at the end of 2013; and, if so, what are those forecasts.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The Home Office regularly monitors and analyses overall migration data to help inform policy decisions. However, we have not prepared forecasts of likely inflows from Romania and Bulgaria once restrictions are lifted. Such forecasts are unlikely to be reliable because they are dependent on too many variable factors.
	In November 2011 when considering the impacts of ending transitional controls on Romanians and Bulgarians, the independent Migration Advisory Committee concluded that it would not be sensible, or helpful to policymakers, for us to attempt to put a precise range around this likely impact.
	So rather than produce speculative projections we are focusing on our work to cut out the abuse of free movement and address the pull factors that drive EU migrants to Britain.

Nigeria

Baroness Berridge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken, and what further steps they intend to take, in relation to the killing of Christians in northern Nigeria in December 2012.

Baroness Warsi: We condemn those responsible for the killings in December 2012 in Nigeria. We will continue to support the Nigerians to bring those responsible for these attacks to justice, and to ensure the protection of all Nigerians.
	We are concerned about ongoing inter-communal conflict and attacks by violent extremists that have caused great suffering in communities of different faiths and ethnicities. Our assessment is that such attacks aim to provoke religious divides in an otherwise tolerant nation. Underlying issues of poverty and inequality also remain drivers of conflict between communities in northern Nigeria.
	Our high commission in Abuja is supporting counterterrorism work and interfaith projects, for example in Plateau state. The Department for International Development has also established a Nigeria Stability and Reconciliation Programme which supports efforts to prevent violence.
	We will continue to review our work in this field and to identify areas where further steps might be appropriate and effective.

Nigeria

Baroness Berridge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what practical support and encouragement they are giving to the Government of Nigeria to address killings perpetrated by Boko Haram insurgents in that country.

Baroness Warsi: We have strongly condemned the violence in northern Nigeria, including that perpetrated by extremists known as Boko Haram and we will continue to offer what help we can to bring those responsible for such attacks to justice.
	The Government are committed to working with the Nigerian authorities and civil society to tackle insecurity in Nigeria. The Prime Minister, my right honourable friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), and President Goodluck Jonathan reaffirmed this shared agenda when they met on 22 February 2012. Senior officials from the UK and Nigeria met to discuss these issues in London in November 2012 and in Abuja in December 2012. The UK has shared its expertise on counterterrorism policy, doctrine and legal frameworks, and also provided assistance with specific capabilities such as managing the consequences of terrorist attacks.
	Our high commission in Abuja is supporting counterterrorism work and interfaith projects in Plateau state in northern Nigeria. The Department for International Development has also established a Nigeria Stability and Reconciliation Programme which supports efforts to prevent violence

North Korea

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the call made on 14 January by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights for the international community to put more effort into tackling the human rights situation in North Korea.

Baroness Warsi: The UK welcomes the statement made by the UN High Commissioner on 14 January. The UK already cosponsors two annual United Nations Resolutions on North Korea and is active in raising our significant concerns with the North Korean Government, both in London and Pyongyang. We continue to press the North Korean Government to co-operate with the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in North Korea and to provide him with access to their country.
	Our embassy in Pyongyang also undertakes work in North Korea to improve the lives of vulnerable groups: recent projects have focused on disability and food security for young children. However, given the gravity of the situation, we believe that we need to continue to look for new ways to tackle human rights abuses in North Korea.
	During the Australia-UK ministerial consultations held on 18 January, the Foreign Secretary, my right honourable friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), and the Australian Foreign Minister agreed to work together to enhance the effectiveness of UN human rights mechanisms on North Korea.

North Korea

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the call made on 14 January by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights for the establishment of an international inquiry into human rights violations in North Korea; and whether they share her assessment that such violations "in one way or another affect almost the entire population and has no parallel anywhere in the world".

Baroness Warsi: The UK welcomes the statement made by the UN High Commissioner on 14 January and agrees with the assessment that human rights violations in North Korea are pervasive and affect the majority of the population.
	In the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Annual Human Rights Report 2011, our assessment was that North Korea has "one of the worst, if not the worst human rights records in the world". We therefore agree with the UN High Commissioner's assessment that the human rights situation in North Korea "has no parallel anywhere in the world".
	We are currently considering with partners in the UN whether to establish an international inquiry into human rights violations in North Korea. We agree with the principle that more needs to be done to put pressure on North Korea to reform.
	During the Australia-UK ministerial consultations held on 18 January, the Foreign Secretary, my right honourable friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) and the Australian Foreign Minister agreed that they should explore what can be done to "enhance the effectiveness of UN measures". We are also continuing to press the North Korean Government to cooperate with the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in North Korea and allow him access to their country.

Northern Ireland: Referendum

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Randerson on 22 January (WA 176), what criteria they will apply in considering whether a referendum on future constitutional arrangements in Northern Ireland is required.

Baroness Randerson: The provisions for calling a poll on the status of Northern Ireland are set out in the Belfast agreement and the Northern Ireland Act 1998.
	The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland will of course listen to the views of Northern Ireland parties on a border poll. However, given the state of opinion in Northern Ireland, clearly expressed in election results and opinion polls, the Government have no present plans to hold a referendum.

Overseas Conflict: Sexual Violence

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the provision of safe abortion for survivors of sexual violence in conflict is addressed within the remit of their Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative.

Baroness Warsi: The aim of my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary's Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative (PSVI) is to work to shatter the culture of impunity for rape and sexual violence in conflict. Part of this is work to increase the number of successful prosecutions for these crimes. It also includes building the capacity of local and national bodies to take action against the perpetrators of these abhorrent crimes and to support survivors.
	The Government published the UK policy on Safe and Unsafe Abortion in 2010, which states that UK aid without exception can be used to provide safe abortion care, and where necessary and to the extent allowed by national laws, for victims of rape in conflict zones. The PSVI team within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office works closely with the Department for International Development to ensure that programmes supported by the initiative comply with current guidelines.

Overseas Conflict: Sexual Violence

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government how the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative will ensure that the principles of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, regarding the full participation of women in decision-making processes, are incorporated into its aims.

Baroness Warsi: My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary's Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative reinforces wider government work to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.
	The Foreign Secretary is clear that tackling sexual violence in conflict is part of a broader effort to empower women and that promoting women's political, economic and social participation is central to the success of the initiative. We will maintain this approach as we implement the initiative and develop the commitments we hope to secure at the G8 Foreign Ministers' meeting in April.

Overseas Conflict: Sexual Violence

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government how the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative will support women's rights organisations at local level which are working to prevent gender-based violence and ensure long-term peace and security.

Baroness Warsi: Working with local actors, including women's rights organisations and other human rights defenders, is integral to the success of my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary's Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative (PSVI). We recognise the vital role of grass-roots organisations, which have often built up trust, local knowledge, relationships and expertise over many years.
	The new PSVI UK team of experts will deploy to conflict areas to support civil society organisations, to help national authorities and international bodies to build national capacity to investigate allegations of sexual violence and gather evidence to support future prosecutions. Consultation and collaboration with women's rights organisation before, during and after deployments is a key part of our planning and of the development of practical programmes to support survivors.
	We hope that G8 Foreign Ministers will endorse this approach at their meeting in April, as well as making new commitments in this area. We hope that this, along with wider work across government to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security, will help address the long-term challenges to peace and security caused by gender-based violence and begin to shatter the culture of impunity for those who commit these crimes.

Pakistan

Baroness Falkner of Margravine: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to assess the integrity of the forthcoming elections in Pakistan; and whether they have had discussions with the Commonwealth regarding monitoring and assistance for those elections.

Baroness Warsi: We are calling on all parties to ensure the forthcoming elections are free from violence and fraud, and that citizens are able to vote without intimidation. The UK is supporting Pakistan's own efforts to improve its electoral processes through a three-year capacity building programme with the Electoral Commission of Pakistan. The UK is also supporting civil society via the Free and Fair Elections Network (FAFEN).
	Domestic and international election observation with an objective assessment of the election's credibility will be a key component in strengthening Pakistan as an open and transparent democracy. FAFEN has observed all 2011-12 by-elections and will provide over 40,000 trained domestic observers to observe the elections.
	We have met with several interested parties, including the EU and the Commonwealth Secretariat, to discuss the importance of election monitoring and to ensure international support is given in a co-ordinated manner.

Powers of Entry

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government which minister in each government department has responsibility to Parliament for the full review of powers of entry of that department as required by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The Protection of Freedoms Act requires each Minister who is a member of the Cabinet to review relevant powers of entry and provide a report of the review to Parliament.

Powers of Entry

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in the full review of powers of entry required by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, they will give priority to reviewing those powers of entry which do not require a warrant.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The review will include and focus on all powers of entry by each department which will look at the scope for repealing, rewriting and adding further safeguards such as the requirement for judicial authorisation in the form of a warrant. It is a matter for each department to determine how it conducts its review to meet the requirements of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012.

Powers of Entry

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in the full review of powers of entry required by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, departments will consider whether each power of entry without warrant should be replaced by an appropriate power of entry with warrant; and whether the reasons for each such decision will be published as part of that review.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Departments have been asked to consider including appropriate safeguards when reviewing each power of entry it has responsibility for. The circumstances of each of the powers will determine if judicial authorisation in the form of a warrant is required and this is a matter for individual departments to consider during the review.
	It is not the intention to publish specific details of each individual power. Departments will provide a final report to parliament setting out the findings of the review by May 2014.

Powers of Entry

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, under the full review of powers of entry as required by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, any powers of entry without warrant have yet been identified in which the powers could be made subject to warrant.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The review is at different stages across departments and it is not possible at this stage to provide specific information on individual powers from all departments.

Powers of Entry

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what new powers of entry without the need for a warrant have been enacted since the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 came into force.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: We do not maintain central record of new powers that have been enacted across departments since May 2012 and to obtain information from each individual department would be disproportionate to cost. However, Home Office Ministers are keen to ensure that judicial authorisation is obtained where, for instance, entry to residential premises is required, unless there are overriding reasons not to.

Property: Leasehold Valuation Tribunal

Baroness Gardner of Parkes: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord McNally on 16 January (Official Report, col. 683), whether, when the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal is transferred into the property chamber in the First-tier Tribunal, the applicant's fee will remain at the present £500.

Lord McNally: The Ministry of Justice is currently considering the details of the fees order for the new Property Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal. I will write to my noble friend providing those details shortly. I will also place a copy of this letter in the Library of the House.

Raymond Gilbert

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the reasons for the continued imprisonment of Mr Raymond Gilbert, convicted of murder in 1981.

Lord McNally: It is for the independent Parole Board to determine whether indeterminate sentenced prisoners should be released from custody on licence. Such prisoners may be released only once the minimum period of imprisonment (the tariff) has expired and the independent Parole Board is satisfied that the risk of harm the prisoner poses to the public is such that it may be effectively managed in the community. There is nothing automatic about release on tariff expiry.
	It is not appropriate for me to comment upon an individual case, other than to confirm that Mr Gilbert has had his detention regularly reviewed by the Parole Board, and it has declined to direct his release.

Relevant Authorities (Disclosable Pecuniary Interests) Regulations 2012

Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to consult representatives of Parish Councils on the impact of the Relevant Authorities (Disclosable Pecuniary Interests) Regulations 2012 on the retention of parish councillors.

Baroness Hanham: Before making these regulations, we sought the views of the National Association of Local Councils and considered carefully the comments that its head of legal services gave us. The Government have committed to review in three to five years' time the operation of the new standards arrangements for local authorities which include the requirements about disclosable pecuniary interests. Seeking the views of parish council representatives would be part of any such review.
	Last year, we published plain English guidance for councillors to correct some misconceptions about the new regime and tackle unnecessary gold-plating by monitoring officers; we took into account general representations from and on behalf of parish councillors in drawing up that guidance.

Scotland: Referendum

Lord Browne of Ladyton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the legal standing of the 2012 agreement between the United Kingdom Government and the Scottish Government on a referendum on independence for Scotland.

Lord Wallace of Tankerness: The agreement signed by both the UK and Scottish Governments on 15 October 2012 is a non-statutory statement of the agreement reached between the two Governments to facilitate a legal, fair and decisive referendum on independence for Scotland. The agreement includes a memorandum of agreement and a copy of the draft Section 30 order that both the UK and Scottish Governments agreed to promote in their respective Parliaments and that has now been approved by both Houses of Parliament and the Scottish Parliament. Once the order is made in the Privy Council, the order will become law.

Scotland: Referendum

Lord Browne of Ladyton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the 2012 Agreement between the United Kingdom Government and the Scottish Government on a referendum on independence for Scotland has relevance to matters beyond the issue of holding a referendum in Scotland.

Lord Wallace of Tankerness: The agreement signed by both the UK and Scottish Governments on 15 October 2012 is a non-statutory statement of the agreement reached between the two Governments to facilitate a legal, fair and decisive referendum on independence for Scotland. The agreement includes a memorandum of agreement and a copy of the draft Section 30 order that both the UK and Scottish Governments agreed to promote in their respective Parliaments and that has now been approved by both Houses of Parliament and the Scottish Parliament. It has no relevance to matters beyond the process for holding a referendum on independence for Scotland, other than to express the commitment of both Governments to work constructively in the light of the outcome of the referendum.

Syria

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any jihadist affiliation of the al-Nusra Front in Syria; and whether they have information linking that organisation to the killing of Thaer al-Waqqas.

Baroness Warsi: Our assessment is that the al-Nusrah Front is a violent Islamist organisation. We are concerned about such terrorist groups gaining a foothold in Syria, which is one of the reasons why we are working with Syria's opposition national coalition to ensure a strong and representative moderate voice capable of meeting the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people.
	We have no information on Thaer al-Waqqas.

Turkey

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures are available to them, the European Union and other European institutions to assist the achievement of a comprehensive peace in Turkey.

Baroness Warsi: We are fully committed to working with the Turkish authorities to find a peaceful solution to the Kurdish issue. We have taken robust action in recent years to crack down on Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) fund-raising activity in London.
	In 2012 we supported a key Democratic Progress Institute project which focused on building a "language of peace" between all sides. In its 2012 progress report on Turkey, the EU Commission called the Kurdish issue "a key challenge for Turkey's democracy" and called on the Turkish Government to make steps towards a peaceful solution. We welcome the Turkish Government's recent decision to open negotiations with the jailed leader of the PKK, Abdullah Ocalan.